Y. Matsunaga, M. Noda, H. Murakawa, K. Hayashi, A. Nagasaka, S. Inoue, T. Miyata, T. Miura, K. Kubo and K. Nakajima, Reelin transiently promotes N-cadherin-dependent neuronal adhesion during mouse cortical development, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 114, 8, 2048-2053, 2017.02, Reelin is an essential glycoprotein for the establishment of thehighly organized six-layered structure of neurons of the mammalianneocortex. Although the role of Reelin in the control ofneuronal migration has been extensively studied at the molecularlevel, the mechanisms underlying Reelin-dependent neuronal layerorganization are not yet fully understood. In this study, we directlyshowed that Reelin promotes adhesion among dissociated neocorticalneurons in culture. The Reelin-mediated neuronal aggregationoccurs in an N-cadherin–dependent manner, both in vivo andin vitro. Unexpectedly, however, in a rotation culture of dissociatedneocortical cells that gradually reaggregated over time, we foundthat it was the neural progenitor cells [radial glial cells (RGCs)],rather than the neurons, that tended to form clusters in the presenceof Reelin. Mathematical modeling suggested that this clusteringof RGCs could be recapitulated if the Reelin-dependentpromotion of neuronal adhesion were to occur only transiently.Thus, we directly measured the adhesive force between neuronsand N-cadherin by atomic force microscopy, and foundthat Reelin indeed enhanced the adhesiveness of neurons toN-cadherin; this enhanced adhesiveness began to be observedat 30 min after Reelin stimulation, but declined by 3 h. Theseresults suggest that Reelin transiently (and not persistently)promotes N-cadherin–mediated neuronal aggregation. WhenN-cadherin and stabilized β-catenin were overexpressed in themigrating neurons, the transfected neurons were abnormallydistributed in the superficial region of the neocortex, suggestingthat appropriate regulation of N-cadherin–mediated adhesion is importantfor correct positioning of the neurons during neocorticaldevelopment..

H. Murakawa, Spatial patterns in a population model structured by cell size, quiescence and sensing radius, Everything disperses to Miami, the role of movement and dispersal in spatial ecology, epidemiology and environmental science, 2012.12.

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H. Murakawa, Instantaneous limit of a reaction-diffusion system with a fast precipitation and dissolution reaction, Singularities arising in Nonlinear Problems 2012, 2012.11.